M+E Connections

No one could have predicted how this decade has unfolded. And we aren’t even a quarter of the way there. At the beginning of 2020, I was excited for the MESA Europe community to join the global MESA brand and integrate their meetings and mission into the broader association ecosystem.

I knew a corner-stone of their community was the Content Localisation Council (and apologies, Europe,for all the z’s you’ll need to endure through this issue) which had been thriving out of London since 2016.

They had been producing the premier localization event for media and entertainment (Content Workflow Management Forum) and that event helped introduce innovation and transformation to a growing community of passionate service providers.

The Council was the perfect“vessel” to bring a group of technologists (customers, partners, and competitors) in front of decision makers and peers to demonstrate where our industry can go when faced with a common challenge.

Working group sessions drive an open forum, no press event to accelerate efficiencies in the entertainment supply chain.

The community mantra for MESA and what we are founded on. Easy.

Win-Win.

THEN CAME CHAOS

The pandemic hit.

The Ides of March 2020 started a two-month lockdown. But we didn’t stop working … ours is the industry the world turns to in crisis.

We needed to entertain! And never mind the fact that the streaming wars had begun which drove an already insatiable appetite for content into the stratosphere.

We didn’t slow down, we sped up.

The entire work-from-home strategy for localization companies had to be re-invented and we had incredible challenges at the front end of the content supply chain. We couldn’t stop for two days, let alone two months, when it comes to production, location, and talent scheduling! And WFH/cloud/platform adoption (revolution) only complicated matters. And that was only 2020! And the localization segment only mirrors the disruption across every facet of production and distribution.

‘21 and ‘22 saw everyone doubling down on strategies that sometimes seemed upside down and unoriginal.

Ours has never been a business where we could pour billions of dollars into a “format” with no understanding of the true pay-off. Hollywood mirrored Tech in-fighting for market share and subscriber base which harkened back to the cable/satellite days while we struggle to find a true solution to windowing that retains theatrical as an experience.

Things are tough all over! What a long, strange trip it’s been, and we aren’t out of the woods yet.

Our world has been rocked by almost three years of uncertainty. Everywhere we turn and in the simplest things there’s chaos. Personal, political, business, family … everything is impacted by the “COVID cray.” But as we get through the final stages of the pandemic, and frankly the far less scary or worrisome parts, we need to look back at what we’ve gained during these troubled times while respecting and mourning what we’ve lost.

And it’s in these moments, the small triumphs, and tragedies in our lives, that we turn to community.

Through good and bad the community is there for each other.

The bonds that are built between colleagues and peers drive the collective energy behind any industry. It’s a common bond that we’re all doing our part in a global machine that satisfies a consumer or a customer. And “we” are the people who inform and entertain the world! Media & Entertainment has a certain glitz and gloss that brings our comparatively tiny industry the international spotlight.

So, our community is influential and, back in the physical days, entirely unique. No one, literally no one, could produce content like Hollywood. At the dawn of the new era of ones and zeroes Hollywood is no longer unique.

We look to other industries to accelerate our transformation.

MESA’s made a point of this since our first Entertainment Supply Chain Academy (ESCA) events in 2005.

How we build and operate technology stacks of cloud-based SaaS solutions inside our data centres isn’t what we’re about.

We’re about providing a vessel to creatives, whether in the production or distribution process, that allow them to build their art, do their thing, and contribute to the company’s bottom line. Where, when, and how we do that is constantly being re-imagined and re-built so we can further the limits on our creative possibilities … that’s where innovation and transformation shines.

But if we’ve learned anything over the past 24 months, it’s that we can’t (and won’t) stop.

We need to use our community platform to be unrelenting in our approach to collaboration.

The transformation of our industry began over a decade ago and our communities have fostered visionary ideas that have become standard practice around the world in every part of the supply chain.

By shining the light on our global needs in accessible, localized content we are shining the light on one segment that has come together organically and grown together to where we are today.

MESA will continue to produce events and media that nourishes your soul but know that this content, this magazine, the newsletter, the events, the vision … it comes from the community and you’re a big part of it.

* By Guy Finley, President, MESA *

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